Morag Loh & Christine Ramsay, Survival and Celebration: An Insight into the Lives of Chinese Immigrant Women, European Women Married to Chinese and their Female Children in Australia from 1856 to 1986, Melbourne, 1986.

With a World Heritage Membership you will have unlimited access to all Ancestry.com.au records from around the world including the US, Ireland and the UK, Canada, Europe, Australia and New Zealand. Who knows, your family research could take you all over the world!

One of the latest collections to be added online is more than 20 million New Zealand records. Including Electoral Rolls, 1853-1981, Canterbury Provincial Rolls, 1868-1874, military records including New Zealand Expeditionary Force (NZEF) Nominal (Embarkation) Rolls, NZEF Casualty List, New Zealand Army Medal Rolls, schools, directories and church histories, Jury Lists 1842-1862 and Maori Land Claims, 1858-1980, to name a few.

All we know about this wonderful crystal pitcher and matching four glasses is that they were made in West Germany by Astra, and have been wrapped up carefully for many years. There the story ends, but we think this exquisitely crafted glassware deserves a second lease of life and a home where they will be loved and used.

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Darwin will remember the anniversaries of a series of bombing raids that took place during 1942 as it approaches the 70th Anniversary of the Bombing of Darwin on 19 February 2012. The bombing raids during WWII continued for nearly two years across Northern Australia after the initial attack on Darwin in February 1942.

September 25 to 27 marks the anniversary of five bombing raids on the city, Livingstone and Bynoe Harbour. Darwin city was attacked twice in the early hours of 25 September 1942, Livingstone Airfield on September 26 and both Bynoe Harbour and Darwin city on September 27.

Former Adelaide River army nurse Alva Curtis, who now resides at Esperance in Western Australia, clearly remembers the raids, which coincided with a full moon. “Planes didn’t have the technology then that they do now so the pilots relied on the light of the moon to know where to bomb. “Darwin was bombed every full moon. Whenever the siren went off, it was lights out, under our beds and no one was allowed to smoke - everyone smoked back then.”

Alva had more than a couple of close calls during the 21 month-long raid on Australia’s north and recalls one time where she spent more than five hours in a dugout trench. “We were travelling back to Adelaide River when we were stopped at Winnellie by troops who said the planes were coming. It was only 6:30 in the evening but boy those planes came.

“They (the Japanese) were dropping ‘daisy cutters’ and it lasted hours. When we thought it was safe we got back into the jeep and had another go, but we didn’t get too far before we had to make another run for it. “It was easily midnight before we made it home and the matron was very pleased to see us safe. We weren’t in trouble as we thought we may be, but we weren’t given the next day off either!” Alva affectionately recalls.

This month’s remembrance is in lead up to a series of commemoration events that will take place from February 11 to 26 next year.

The main event will mark the 70th anniversary of the first bombing of Darwin to be held at the Darwin Cenotaph on 19 February 2012. The two-week program will include commemorative ceremonies, a schools competition and exhibition, historic talks, tours and movie screenings, the release of a commemorative coin and an AFL football match.

Issue # 6 is available in newsagents nationally from Wednesday, 7th September. To find out where in your state, click here. You can also request us at your local newsagent, and we'll make sure that the next issue - our birthday issue [Issue # 7] is sent there for you!

It's NSW History Week and that puts us in the mood for dancing! So, dust off your vintage frocks – we’re having a ball!

You are cordially invited to the inaugural Vintage Spring Fling Ball at the classic Marrickville Town Hall on the 10th of September. It’s time to dust off your vintage frocks and shine your dancing shoes for a night of food, dancing and entertainment.

Featuring the 1950’s musical stylings of the Ellipsis Swingers, you will be transported back to a time when full skirts were in and Grace Kelly was a style icon. The night will include a delicious three-course meal and all wine, beer and soft drinks included for $100 per person.

Marrickville Town Hall has been open since 1922 and was used as a dance venue throughout the 1920s-1950s. Its high ceilings and marble staircases make it the perfect location for a vintage themed ball.

The Vintage Spring Fling Ball is an event for singles, couples and friends to come enjoy an evening purely dedicated to having a good time. We encourage you to bop till you drop and twirl your poodle skirt around the dance floor, glass of wine in hand.

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Inside our magazine

Inside History is for people passionate about Australian and New Zealand history and heritage, whether it’s their family’s ancestry, or in a broader social context. Published bi-monthly and beautifully designed, Inside History provides insightful and practical features to its readers..

Issue 23 is now available online! We're selling subscriptions and we also have back copies of issues 2 - 22 left in stock excluding Issues 1, 3, 12, 13, 21 which have sold out in our paper edition.

Issue 23 is available in newsagents nationally in your state or territory! Click here to find out where.